The Kennedy Center will provide management assistance to 23 orchestras around the country in a new initiative called "Sustaining the American Orchestra," the center announced.

The orchestras include the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Rochester Philharmonic, St. Louis Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, Kansas City Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, New Haven Symphony, and other ensembles of various sizes. Some have struggled with fiscal crises in recent years.

The program will give executives from the orchestras access to each other's expertise, and the expertise of Kennedy Center staff members, through symposia, online discussions, and meetings.

In particular, the Kennedy Center is offering the guidance of its president, Michael M. Kaiser, to the orchestras. Kaiser is credited with engineering financial turnarounds at London's Royal Opera House and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Most recently, he has assisted in the recovery of the Dance Theatre of Harlem and its school.